About Burning Tree

At Burning Tree, we are uncompromising when it comes to cyber security and we will always do the right thing for our customers – offering advice that is honest, pragmatic and relevant to your business now.

What exactly do we do?

Our background is in high-level information security consulting. For years, we have helped companies formulate and fortify their strategies using a proven five-stage framework to deliver our advanced security transformation and improvement programmes.

We also work with a wide range of leading technology and software partners – allowing us to make suitable and objective recommendations based on your particular security needs. These partners have all been carefully selected because we are confident the products and services they offer are the best available in the cyber security industry today.

That being said, technology isn’t always the answer. Sometimes a business needs help putting the correct processes or training in place instead. We know people are your biggest information security risk; most problems occur either because a person chooses to act maliciously or, more often, because someone just hasn’t done what they were supposed to. By implementing positive cultural changes that focus on the right processes and proper training, we can help ensure everyone is on board.

Burning Tree TM
Discovery, Assess, Analysis, Recommend, Delivery | Burning Tree Process
Richard Menear
Richard MenearCEO
Richard is responsible for the overall management and day to day running of Burning Tree. He supports the Directors in the delivery of their assignments and on the development of the consulting practice in the field of Information Risk Management. Richard specialises in Operational Risk Management and has held senior positions in a number of Global Financial Institutions.

With a successful track record of over 26 years in Financial Services and 13 years in Risk Management, Richard has a wealth of experience. He was Head of Operational Risk for a Global service unit of HSBC Bank and worked at a number of UK based banks helping them achieve AMA status under the Basel II accord.

David Lello
David LelloCISO
David is responsible for the development and management of Burning Tree’s consulting practice. Having previously worked as an Enterprise Security Architect at Absa Bank, he holds a vast amount of experience in this field and has worked with architectures across the business and technology landscape, including information security and financial systems, for over twenty years.

David has a proven track record in transformational and improvement programs for Identity & Access Management and Information Security. He has delivered innovative and good practice security across all industries Globally, as well as more than 60 consulting engagements on behalf of Gartner.

Peter Boyle
Peter BoyleCTO
Peter is responsible for creating a suite of security products to complement our existing consulting capability. Under Peter’s direction, we are creating a product suite that helps companies overcome many of the complex security challenges we see today without incurring the overhead of an in-house security team.

Peter joined Burning Tree from BT, where he spent the last 20 years in IT and, specifically, the last eight years as Head of Identity & Security Services. There he was responsible for the design, development and operations of a range of platforms covering Identity Lifecycle Management, Privileged User Management, Single Sign On, Authentication, SIEM and Threat Detection.

What makes us different?

Every single member of our team has a wealth of experience in the field and our clients benefit directly from this. If you go to a larger Cyber Security Specialist, you’ll often meet with the senior team initially but then find it is the less-experienced graduates carrying out the work. At Burning Tree, you deal with the same expert team from the outset and throughout. What’s more, we can also offer a much more cost-effective service than the ‘Big Four’ and are able to respond quickly to change – providing a tailored service that meets your evolving needs.

Another key difference is we are not just trying to sell software. Instead, we create a bespoke programme that looks at your security issues as a whole and identifies the most suitable plan of action. Meaning that if we don’t think new software will fix your problem at that moment in time, then we won’t recommend it.

Security spanning a range of sectors

Over the years, we have worked with more than a hundred different clients at some of the largest global organisations and market-leading companies throughout the world. Our clients span across a range of sectors, including:

Financial Services
Financial Services
Energy and Utilities
Energy and Utilities
Telecommunications and Media
Telecommunications and Media
Education, Publishing and Research
Education, Publishing and Research
Retail and Manufacturing
Retail and Manufacturing
Public Sector
Public Sector
Major Business Software Vendors
Major Business Software Vendors
Security Technology Vendors
Security Technology Vendors
Incubation and Innovation Partners
Incubation and Innovation Partners

We are proud to say that we get a lot of repeat business. Even when contacts move from company to company, they often take us with them. And in the constantly evolving world of cyber security, these long-lasting relationships are crucial.

Our Services

IT security consultants

Consulting

Our high-level Consultancy Services provide organisations with a strategic approach to information security. We help you keep your information and digital assets safe.

Technology services

Technology

We work with a wide range of leading technology and software partners – allowing us to make suitable and objective recommendations based on your particular security needs.

Risk Assessment

Risk Assessment

Our online triage tool, ASURE, automates the security assurance process and provides a 360° view of evolving security threats and the risks associated with change.